Fiji Trip Report Dec 08

[beed2112]

cawhite -- thanks for the comments on the pics.

Some of our group did make the trip on the last day we were in town. They setup a prety nice little day trip from the resort, those that went seemed to enjoy it.

The rest of our group stayed at the resort to get in our last dives Instead of the falls and the date line we got to see a Spanish Dancer (a huge nudi).


It was definitely an eat sleep and dive vacation for us.

Just talking about it makes me even more certain I want to go back this year!

 

[andrewtao]

Hi Outpost31,

I'm planning my diving trip to Fiji in March. Your report is really helpful. However, I still have some questions, just wondering if you can help:

1. Is there any other transportion available except airplane from Nadi/suva to Kadavu, from Nadi/suva to Taveuni? Can I go by ship?

2. After diving, we have to wait at least 24 hours to fly. Is this a issue I have to consider as my schedule is pretty tight?

3. Is there any cheap accommadaion like backpackers available in Kadavu and Taveuni?

Thanks a lot.

Andrew

 

[outpost31]

Hi andrewtao,

1) I only looked into flights as another member, G2 i think, said there are small boats but they aren't very reliable and if your trip is tight they're not recommended. Check out G2's long Fiji Trip Report...I found it very helpful.

2) Leaving 24hrs between diving is always the smart way to go. I booked my trip with that in mind, always leaving a rest day between diving and flights. Some people say you only need 12hrs but on a remote island a long way from a decomp tank that might be asking for trouble. It's up to you mate, but I recommend you factor in rest days, although it does depend on the time of your last dive and your flight time, maybe all your dives are in the morning and you have late flights the next day so you wont have to spend another night.

3) Both my accom in Kad and Tav were all incl, and they were a bit isolated. Best bet would be to do a search on the net, i found Bluewater Lodge in Nadi on Hostels.com where they have customer reviews. If you find more than one site with customers all saying good things about one place it helps narrow down the search. I'm sure there are some hostels out there but I never made any searches for them as I had already chosen a resort.

Hope this helps mate!
Any other Q's, just ask.

 

[andrewtao]

Hi Outpost31,

Thank you for your prompt reply.

Now, the tough question is coming, As I don't have enough time and budget, Beqa lagoon shark dive is a must-go. KADAVU and TAVEUNI, I'm afraid I can't take both. I have to choose one, KADAVU or TAVEUNI. Which one do you prefer? Sorry... I know it's hard to make a choice.

Regards,

Andrew

 

[outpost31]

Hi Andrew,

Yeah that's a tough one all right. Well, I guess it depends on what you want to see. I chose Kadavu to see the Mantas & Taveuni to see the best of the soft coral.

Kad: Very peaceful and isolated, a great getaway from it all. You can see mantas there but nothings guaranteed of course, I had 4 days diving and only saw one on my last dive! Other diving there is good but not as good as Tav. Great food and Fijian experience at Matava, very nice place!

Tav: Much bigger island and there are many different dive sites along the Somosomo straight. Sofe coral is abundant, there's the Great White Wall. I saw banded sea snake, turtle, blue ribbon eel, blue spotted ray, white tips, Titan triggerfish, scorpion fish, etc.

If I could only choose one, I'd definitely choose Tav although I had an excellent stay at Kad. With the shark feed and Tav you should have a great time Andrew!

 

[John_B]

Was Nitrox available at either location? As much as I want to go diving in Fiji, that's the problem that I can't seem to square with the popular land-based resorts (and the liveaboards are $pendy).

 

[outpost31]

Sorry John, I'm not Nitrox qualified so I never looked into it and I don't recall seeing it or people talking about it at either location. You may have to email them to find out. I guess it depends on the size of the Dive shop/resort. Good luck hunting tho, mate.

 

[maddmike]

We visited & dove at both Kadavu (Tiliva Resort) and Taveuni (Jewel Bubble Divers) in 2006. If I were returning to one island, it would definitely be Taveuni. Better diving, and much more variety of things to see & do.

 

[andrewtao]

HI Outpost31 and Maddmike,

Thanks for your comments.

I will choose Tav as my destination.